Armor & Mobility

AUG 2017

Military magazines in the United States and Canada, covering Armor and Mobility, focuses on tactical vehicles, C4ISR, Special Operations Forces, latest soldier equipment, shelters, and key DoD programs

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Now, the real challenge comes when you recognize our personnel
numbers are at their lowest in 25 years which means we need to bring
on not just more people, but also folks who are highly skilled. Adding
to the challenge is our workforce is retiring in greater numbers, so
we need to pass on skills to the next generation before our seasoned
workers deservedly walk out with skills acquired over decades.
For example, our engineering team identified nearly 180 individual
engineering skill sets needed to holistically execute their mission.
In addition, we are continually assessing which programs require a
priority of effort through our strategic resource management model,
as well as honing our efficiency thru center-wide standard processes.
My goal is to get to a point where we can demonstrably, with data,
show that we are doing this job better every year, and that we can
make the case that we are a genuine, "head of the class" organization
within the Department of Defense for doing this kind of work. I think
that in many areas we are, but presenting hard data as proof is key.
To phrase this more succinctly, I want to make sure we have super
highly qualified people doing their job extremely well and that we can
prove that with measures that are objective via verifiable data.
A&M: From an assets perspective, what focus areas are AFLCMC
targeting in support of legacy programs as well as incoming F-35 and
KC-46 integration, while addressing related challenges to keeping
these critical airframes on track for USAF/DoD mission readiness?
Lt. Gen. McMurry: Looking across the board, it's true our Air Force
fleet is older now than ever, and we have pilots flying the same
aircraft their grandfathers once flew. Age is only part of the story.
The other factor is usage. It's the old adage, "It's not the years,
it's the miles." There is truth to that. We've been flying combat
operations non-stop since 1990—this takes a physical toll on
weapons systems. Many of our weapons systems require upgrade
modifications to remain operationally relevant. These are the
reasons that recapitalization of our fleets is so important. It is vital
to the continued security of this nation that the Air Force modernize
and keep it an unfair fight against our adversaries. I'm proud to be
on a team that is a key contributor towards this goal.
As new weapon systems come on-line, especially newly devel-
oped platforms, you face a multitude of challenges. We generally
refer to this as "discovery." These are simply the unknowables you
can expect to encounter as you tread new ground. Every program
goes through it. The F-35 has unprecedented computing capability
and has had challenges finalizing the millions of lines of code in its
software. Earlier, the KC-46 discovered excessive axial loads on the
boom during testing that required some modifications. But we as
an Air Force must always press the envelope on technology, if we
don't, our opponents will. These challenges will be overcome, its
the nature of this business. Again, an agile team that is smart and
flexible enough to adapt to any number of challenges is crucial.
Last, but not least, sustainment of the fleet is the lynchpin
holding all this together. Lt. Gen. Lee Levy and his team at the Air
Force Sustainment Center do a remarkable job keeping the depots
moving and keeping aircraft in the air. Supply chain stability has
been on the rise thanks to their efforts, but it is something that
requires constant attention. It was one of the reasons that early on
during the recent hiring freeze, the DoD granted a waiver to AFSC to
A C-17 undergoes maintenance at Robins AFB. (U. S. Air Force photo/Sue Sapp)
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